Machine for circumferential color coding



May 5, 1970 ;.--J. GEATING MACHINE FOR CIRCUMFERENTIAL COLOR CODING Original Filed Sept. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 5 May 5, 1970 c. J. GEATING 4 3,509,850

v MACHINE FOR CIRCUMFERENTIAL COLOR CODING Original Filed Sept. 13, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 BYM Za wak ATTORNEY y 1970 c. J. GEATING 3,509,850

MACHINE FOR CIRCUMFEREN'IIAL COLOR CODING Original Filed Sept. 13, 1966 s Sheets-Sheet s PIGJZ r 88 g 4 11 l/ 74 9 I l r /4 95 s \k 73 99 Yip-2 I l 72 IFIGJ4 INVENTOR 67 CHESTER J. GEATI N6 97 95 98 BI 77 I 78 76 74 BY W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,509,850 MACHINE FOR 'CIRCUMFERENTIAL COLOR CODING Chester J. Geating, 1102 E. Joppa Road, Towson, Md. 21204 Original application Sept. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 579,026, now Patent No. 3,434,456, dated Mar 25, 1969. Divided and this application Dec. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 782,025 Int. Cl. Bc 1/08 U.S. Cl. 118221 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire coding machine which is operative in response to pulling the wire through the machine past marking elements, and in which the marking elements are hollow cylinders containing ink, and provided with discrete conduits extending from the interiors to the circumferences of the elements.

CROSS REFERENCE This application is a division of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 579,026, filed Sept. 13, 1966 and now Pat. NO. 3,434,456.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying indicia to a moving length of material such as Wire, bar or sheet stock, tape and the like and more particularly relates to a machine for applying circumferential color coded bands to an indeterminate length of insulated wire for identification purposes.

There has long been a need for marking electrical wire in order that it may be identified as to wire number, type, size, voltage and other qualities and also as to orgin. It is important that the marking appear at frequent but fixed intervals throughout the length of the wire so that the marking may be seen even though short lengths only are visible or accessible.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for high speed color coding of a continuous length of wire by applying spaced bands of color to the wire, and means for varying the application of said bands at the wish of the operator.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character described which generally includes a plurality of marking devices for applying a complete band to the wire, or the like, at high speed.

When wire is pulled through a coding machine at high speed, and it is required that marking of the wire occur in clean 360 stripes, spattering of the ink presents a serious problem. My prior application, hereinabove referred to, provides an effective coding machine for wire, or the like, which is capable of operating at medium speed without spattering ink, but as speed is increased the problem becomes severe, because the ink is maintained on separable marking fingers which rotate about a fairly large axis at the speed of the wire. The problem is solved according to the present invention by enclosing the ink in a rotating cylinder, the interior communicating with the circumference via a marking pad. The cylinder rotates' so that the marking pad has the same linear velocity as the wire. Ink is completely enclosed and cannot spatter, but centrifugal force provides pressure for forcing the ink through the marking pad, so long as some ink remains in the cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A rotating hollow inking cylinder containing a supply of ink and having one or more inking pads communicating 3,509,850 Patented May 5, 1970 ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the marking devices in one marking position taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a similar view in a second marking position taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of marking device;

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view showing the manner of operation of the modified device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of P11 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a modified form of marking device of the type shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a modification of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged detail view of a section of the apparatus of FIG. 13, taken on the line 1313 of said figure;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line 14--14 of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of marking device to be used in the modified form shown in FIG. 1 or 12.

Referring in detail to the form of apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-7 wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, numeral 15 designates the casing comprising a base member 16 having upstanding walls 17 and 18 forming the front and rear of the housing for the gear arrangement and a removable U-shaped cover member 19 suitably secured to said front and rear walls to permit access to the interior of the housing. The machine shown in FIGS. l-7 illustrates a two-sided machine which can be used for marking two lengths of wire with the same or different information. Since the operating and marking devices for both sides are the same, only one side will be described.

The base member extends beyond the front and rear walls and provides a ledge upon which a plurality of inking reservoirs 20 are supported. Although any number of marking pens may be provided, the present machine illustrates the use of four sets of pens and since each set requires its own ink reservoir, four reservoirs 20 are shown.

The four sets of marking pens are indicated generally by numerals 21, 22, 23 and 24 and consists of hubs 25 to which the individual pens are secured, said hubs being mounted on each end of the shafts 26 which extend through the housing 15, with the ends of the shafts extending beyond the front and rear walls of the housing. Gears 27 are secured to the central portions of the shafts 26 within the housing for a purpose to be described.

The form of pen employed in FIGS. 1 through 7, and shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7, consists of a pair of cooperating fingers 28, 29 formed of spring metal, plastic or the like, the lower ends of said fingers being welded or otherwise joined to opposite edges of the hub 25. The finger 28 is formed with a V-shaped bend having the legs 30 and 31 diverging from point 32. The finger 29 is similarly provided with a V-shaped bend having legs 33 and 34 diverging from point 35 in a direction opposite from the direction of legs 30 and 31. The two points 32 and 35 are normally in contact with each other and retain ink at their touching point for application to the wire being marked in a manner which will appear as the description proceeds. The ink, which is indicated by numeral 36, is stored in the reservoirs and is picked up by the pens each time the hub rotates and carries the pens through the reservoir. The several sets of pens indicated by numerals 21, 22, 23 and 24 are constructed in the same manner as described in FIGS. 6 and 7 and bear the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, the marking pens 21 and 24 comprise two sets of cooperating fingers disposed 180 degrees apart and each complete revolution of the hub 25 upon which the two sets of fingers are mounted will make two complete 360 bands around the circumference of the wire 37 being coded. As the wire first approaches the marking wheel, see FIGS. 4 and 6, the wire contacts the converging legs31, 34 and applies a half circumferential band to the lower half of the wire. Continued rotation of the wheel causes the wire to separate the spring fingers and contact the under side of the converging legs 30, 33 as shown in FIG. 7, thereby applying the upper half of the wire with ink to complete the upper half of the band as required with both halves completing the 360 band to the wire, as indicated in FIG. 7. Continued movement of the wire separates the wire from the particular set of pens and advances the wire for the next application of a band.

Again referring to FIG. 1, the marking pens 22 and 23, are provided with four sets of cooperating fingers disposed 90 apart and each complete revolution of marking pens 22 and 23 will apply four complete bands around the wire 37. The various hubs on which the pen sets are mounted can be positioned on their respective shafts to vary the distance between adjacent bands to produce a large number of different combinations. It will be apparent that different colored inks may be stored in each of the reservoirs 20, thereby further increasing the number of band combinations.

A novel drive and guide mechanism for the various operating parts will now be described. The wire 37 is drawn from a stock wheel (not shown) through the printing apparatus by a driven take-up reel (not shown). The wire 37 is wrapped around the wheels 38 and 39 mounted at each end of the marking machine. Either or both of the wheels may be drive wheels as shown or wheel 39 may be .free wheeling or a change of direction wheel. The drive wheel 38, and there are two shown on each side of the machine, is mounted on the shaft 40, which in turn carries a gear 41 which meshes with a gear 42 carried by a shaft 43 on which guide Wheel 44 is mounted. Guide wheel 44 is geared to gear 27 carried by shaft 26 on marking pen 21 and shaft 26 is geared to a second guide wheel 45. Guide wheel 45 is geared to marking pen 22 which in turn is geared to a third guide wheel 46. The third guide wheel 46 is geared to marking pen 23 which in turn is geared to a fourth guide wheel 47. The fourth guide wheel 47 is geared to marking pen 24 which in turn is geared to a fifth guide wheel 48. Thus, it will be seen that as the wire is pulled through the machine, it serves as the drive means for the train of gears causing simultaneous rotation of each of the guide wheels and marking pens previously described.

Each of the guide wheels is provided with a groove 49 for guiding the wire past the marking pens and preventing lateral shifting of the wire during its movement. Numeral 50 designates a guide wheel similar to guide wheel 44 and both of these guide wheels are solid guide and pressure wheels which support the wire as the fingers or pens come in contact with the bottom of the wire. The guide wheels 45, 46, 47 and 48 are notched at points 51, said notches being arranged to clear the marking that may be wet or not set sufficiently to stand the contact with a solid guide wheel.

The apparatus thus far described discloses a set of separate reservoirs for each of the marking wheels which carries the marking fingers or pens, said wheels applying the circumferential coding hands by a single set of pens which apply one half band at a time. FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show a modified form of marking arrangement wherein each marking device has a self-contained reservoir thereby eliminating the need for separate reservoirs such as 20'. The marking wheel shown in this form of the invention, generally indicated by numeral 52, comprises a cylindrical housing 53 ,and cover plate 54. The cover plate is provided with a shaft 55 for rotatably supporting the wheel 52. A threaded bolt 56 having a knurled cap extends through the housing 53 and cover plate 54 for fastening the housing to the cover plate. The housing can beifilled with ink or the like by removing filler plug 57.

One or more slots 58 are formed in the periphery of the wheel and receive a marking pad 59 made from felt, rubber, plastic or the like which can be wetted by the inking material 60 within the housing and transferred to the wire 61 which is to be marked. The outer transverse edge of each of the marking pads is formed with a V- cutout 62 and the two cutout portions 62 plus the inher'ent resiliency of the pads will cooperate to circumscribe a band around the wire 61 as it is being drawn through the apparatus. The wheels 52 have portions 63 removed therefrom adjacent the marking pads to prevent smearing of the marking material as it is being applied. The periphery of each of the wheels is also provided with a groove 64 to properly guide the wire through the apparatus.

With this type of marking wheel, upper and lower wheels are used to mark completely around the wire. If it is desired to mark only part way around the wire, either top or bottom wheel can be used. It will be understood that the gearing arrangement used in this form of the invention will be modified to provide for intermediate idler gears whereby the marking wheels will rotate in the same direction. It is understood that a plurality of wheels are provided and may be arranged with respect to each other to provide various spacings of the coded bands. The wheel housings may be of any desired size and are arranged to be readily removable and replaced with diflerent sized wheels when deired.

FIG. 11 discloses, a slight modification of the marking wheel shown in FIG. 8 and differs therefrom in substituting openings 65 for the slots 58. This type of marking wheel is used when it is desired to apply dots to the wire, or the like. Small pads can be used in the openings 65 but these can be dispensed with by using a slightly more viscous marking material.

FIG. 12 through 14 discloses a modified form of printing apparatus wherein the wire to be marked is drawn through the printing apparatus in a vertical direction. For purpose of illustration, only a single wire is shown but it will be clear that similar printing and guiding mechanism can beprovided on both sides of the casing 66.- The casing 66 is substantially rectangular in shape and includes a front 67 on which the four inking reservoirs 68, 69, 70 and 71 are rigidly supported. Inking rollers or applicators 72 are rotatably supported on the casing wall and transfer the ink or other suitable marking material to the marking pens which in turn transfer said material to the wire 73 to be coded. The inking rollers may be formed or felt, rubber, fiber, metal, or the like, or may have a covering layer formed of felt, rubber or the like.

The inking pens illustrated in this form of the invention and shown in detail in FIG. 15 are similar in construction to the inking pens illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and consists of cooperating fingers 74 and 75. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pens are fastened to the hub 25. In the present modification, the pens may be similarly secured to the hub 76 but as disclosed the pens are detachably secured to the hubs in order that the number of pens mounted on each hub can be varied. Each of the hubs 76 is provided with twelve openings 77 circumferentially spaced adjacent the periphery of the hub, said openings cooperating with openings 78 formed in the fingers 74 and 75 to receive a threaded bolt 79 and nut 80 to lock the fingers to the hub. Raised nibs 81 are provided on each surface of the hub and are adapted to extend through openings 82 provided in each pen finger to prevent twisting of the pens during operation. As shown in FIG. 12, the lower hub 76 has twelve pens mounted thereon, the upper hub has four pens mounted thereon whereas the intermediate hubs have six pens mounted thereon. Each of the hubs 76 is rig-idly mounted on a shaft 83 extending through the front and rear walls of the casing and suitably secured thereto for rotation. The

hubs 76 are readily detachable from the shaft 83 whereby difierent hubs may be used, means are provided to insure proper positioning of the hubs on the shaft mounting and consists of an opening 77' provided in each hub to receive a pin 77". Also mounted on each shaft 83 is a gear 84 which cooperates with intermediate gears 85 whereby the hubs 76 turn in the same direction when being actuated. The means for rotating the hubs 76 is similar to the means for rotating the hubs 25 as previously described. Thus, the upper end of wire 73 is wound around a driven take-up reel (not shown) whereas the lower end of the wire is drawn from a stock wheel (not shown). The wire is wound around a drive wheel 86, secured to shaft 87 which is rotatably supported by the front and rear walls of the casing and a gear 88 is mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith. The gear 88 meshes with one of the intermediate gears 85 to provide rotation of the first marking wheel in the same direction of the travelling wire 73.

The wheel 86 functions and operates in the same manner as drive wheel 37 previously described but differs from wheel 37 in providing adjustment of wheel 86 for accommodating wires of different diameters. This is accomplished by making wheel 86 in two parts with part 89 having a threaded post 90 extending therefrom and part 91 threaded on said post and held in various adjusted positions by means of nut 92. The periphery of each of the parts 89 and 90 are beveled in a direction towards each other whereby a V-shaped groove is provided when the two parts are assembled as clearly shown in FIG. 14. A V-shaped belt 94 formed of rubber, or the like is received in groove 93 and can expand in diameter when the two wheel parts are brought closer together.

In this form of the invention, the guide wheels 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48 are replaced by an endless belt 95, the inner surface of which is provided with teeth 96 for meshing with teeth 97 formed on pulleys 98 and 99. The pulley 98 is supported on a bar 100 which in turn is adjustably secured to the casing 66 and adjustment means 101 is pro- 'vided to increase the tension on the endless belt. Intermediate support roller 102 are mounted on the bar 100 to provide a substantial rigid support for the wire as it is being marked. The outer surface of the endless belt is provided along its length with transverse ridges 103, said ridges being closely spaced but far enough apart from each other to permit the marking pens to mark the wire between adjacent ridges as shown in FIG. 15. The space between the ridges .10'3 serves the same purpose as the notches 51 in FIG. 1. The pulley 99 is suitably geared to the internal gearing which is driven by the drive wheel 86 which in turn rotates the marking pens and the endless be t 95.

The modified form shown in FIGS. 12 through 15 is constructed so that wire being coded is run vertically. However, by rearranging the position of the inking reservoirs the machine can be arranged horizontally with the wire moving in a horizontal position.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be readily apparent that minor changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in FIG. 15, as shown, a pair of fingers 74 and 75 are shown attached to hub 76 by means of screws or the like. If desired the fingers can be formed as a single member joined by a U-shaped portion which can be inserted in transverse slots formed around the periphery of the hub 76 and secured in place by anchoring means. A further form of attachment could be by merely taking the single member and detachably securing the same to the outer periphery of the hub by screws or the like.

What is claimed is:

1. An inking device for marking bands about a moving strand, comprising means for moving said strand linearly past a banding station,

a pair of coacting discs at said banding station,

said discs each including an internal self-contained inking reservoir,

said discs further each including a strand guiding groove in its outer circumference, the grooves of the pair located to coact with each other and with said strand to maintain the linear motion of said strand,

said discs further each including an inking element extending inwardly of the disc to said ink reservoir and outwardly of the disc to a marking position and being porous in respect to said ink,

means driving said discs to have at said grooves the same linear velocities as the strand and synchronizing the rotations of said discs to effect repetitive matings of said inking elements at said strand, during said motion,

said inking elements being shaped and located to produce continuous inked bands on said strand, and

cut-aways at the circumferences of said discs adjoining said inking elements, said cutaways extending for a substantial distance from said inking elements and undercutting the bottoms of said guide grooves sufiiciently that said strand does not contact said discs adjacent said inking elements.

2. A machine for applying markings to a length of strand which is being pulled through said machine, said machine being operative in response to power supplied by pulling of said strand through said machine, comprising,

a housing,

a first set of marking wheels rotatably mounted along one side of said housing in a common plane, each of said marking wheels having plural discrete first marking elements in said plane,

a second set of marking wheels rotatably mounted on said housing and having second marking elements coacting with said first marking elements to imprint circular markings on said strand which extend wholly about said strand,

a drive wheel rotatably mounted on said housing,

said strand being wound about said drive wheel in driving relation to said drive wheel and operative to rotate said drive wheel in response to pulling of said strand through said machine under sole control of the velocity of said wire for all velocities of said wire while passing said first and second marking elements,

means intercoupling said drive wheel and all said marking wheels for driving all said marking wheels such that said first and second marking elements all travel at the same linear velocity as said strand while said marking elements contact said strand for all linear velocities of said strand,

the center line of said wire and the radii and centers of rotation of said marking elements and said drive wheel being such that said wire and each of said marking elements coincide and contact said wire on a common line only once during each rotation of each of said marking elements,

means phasing the movements of said marking elements so that successive ones of said marking wheels taken along the length of said wire contribute discrete marks slightly displaced from the marks made by the other, thereby to form groups of markings,

each of said marking wheels including a closed cylindical hollow ink reservoir having a circumferential wall and having a strand guide groove extending substantially entirely around said wall in alignment with said wire and operative to guide said wire,

said marking elements extending through said wall into the hollow and being ink pervious, to provide a passage through which ink fiows under centrifugal force as said marking wheels rotate so that as speed of movement of the strand increases the speed of rotation of the marking wheels and hence the centrifugal 'force increases, each of said walls and grooves including portions of reduced radius on either side of and immediately adjacent said marking elements, the reduction being sufiiciently deep and extensive to avoid engagement of said strand with said groove adjacent said marking elements,

said marking elements each including a groove aligned with said strand and shaped to encompass substantially one-half of the diameter of said strand, whereby a coacting pair of said marking elements provides a band extending entirely about said wire.

References Cited UNITED FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland.

MORRIS KAPLAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

